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May 2013

- by Linda Orkin

The recent spate of publicity regarding
feline impacts on wildlife started
with the release of results from the
kitty-cams that the University of
Georgia fitted 60 cats with. These
kitty-cam collars were able to document
the out-of-sight behaviors of
family cats, and many were shocked
to learn that the prey these cats
brought home represented only
about a fourth of what they had killed. This disturbing
study was followed by many reports that have been
published in recent months enumerating the rates of kill
of free-ranging domestic cats. These articles have been
linked on the Cayuga Birds listserv and on the bird club
Facebook page, but I felt it was worthy of reflection in this
mid-spring edition of the bird club newsletter.

In January, a report that is a peer-reviewed study and authored
by scientists from the Smithsonian and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Services and which compiles results of 90
other studies on the impact of outdoor cats, extrapolates
the median number of birds killed annually at 2.4 billion
and the median number of mammals at 12.3 billion. These
numbers mean that the negative anthropogenic, or manmade,
effect on native wildlife is greater from cats than
from all other causes combined. To add to this bad news,
a recent peer-reviewed study in Great Britain detailed extremely
negative effects on nesting birds. Adult nesting
birds who were exposed to cats alarm-called much more
loudly and were thus inadvertently pressured into advertising
the presence of their nest. A dire consequence of
this was the great increase in predation effects not only
by the cats themselves, but by many other nest predators
including birds, mammals, and snakes who as a result
were alerted to the location of a nest. Not only was this
negative effect seen in rates of predation, but adult birds
greatly decrease their feeding activity of nestlings and not
just when the cat was in place but for some hours afterwards.
You can search on the American Bird Conservancy
website for these articles: “Outdoor Cats: Single Greatest
Source of Human-Caused Mortality for Birds and Mammals,”
“Study Documents Dramatic New Impacts to Birds
from Outdoor Cats,” and “New Study Provides First Direct
Evidence of Feral Cats in Hawaii Killing Endangered Hawaiian
Petrel.” This last article headline raises a valid point. A
large percentage of birds and mammals are killed by socalled
“unowned” cats, and I do want to make this clear.
The issue of Trap, Neuter and Release inspires passionate
outcries on both sides and is not one I will address at this
point. Still, there are about 40% of cats in this country
that are owned and do have a home who are also out and
about committing this mayhem.

I remember the long ago days when dogs were put out to
run with little criticism. It was just considered to be normal
and right. I know we still encounter dogs on the trails
who are off leash, but they are ostensibly under voice control
of their person and not just wandering freely. Today,
loose dogs are not tolerated and, indeed, are arrested and
ticketed. Leash laws work and represent a consensus that
we all benefit from not having dogs out roaming, that they
could cause us and themselves harm, they could carry disease,
and they could harass wildlife. Our attitudes about the
rights of dogs to experience what some might call their true
nature by being unrestrained have evolved over time. It is
time to bring cat controls up to this same standard.

Our Conservation Action Committee is committed to an education
program that will disseminate information about the
extremely disturbing impacts that outdoor cats are having.
There are so many human caused problems for birds these
days, and most of these will take many people in agreement
to effect a change. Each of us as individuals may have little
chance to change building and window design, or halt the
large-scale use of agro-pesticides, or ameliorate the myriad
other dangers birds face. Yet, here is one easy thing just one
person, each person can do. Keep your cat indoors. Only
let them out in a covered cat run or go out with them and
monitor their activities if you are able to keep them nearby.
If you get a new kitten, leash train it. NestWatch does not
like to be too judgmental with people; and as they attempt
to maneuver through this extremely emotional and loaded
issue, they recommend that you keep cats indoors at least
during nesting and fledging season. Think of all those helpless
babies hopping around, cheeping and begging and advertising
their very vulnerable existence. Watch this YouTube video if you want to see some very fun things you can
do with your cat.

YouTube Video

Happy spring and let’s all do our part to keep nesting parent
birds and their young safe